Smaug
Smaug was the greatest fire-breathing dragon of the Third Age, bred by Sauron. After the Dark Lord's defeat, he fled to the North together with Gorthaur's spirit and made his lair not far from the fortress of Dol Guldur. Sometime in 2880 3A, he attacked the Erebor and the city of Dale. He claimed the treasure and mountain for his Dark Master, forcing Thrór, King under the Mountain, and his people into exile. Thorin's quest - with the help of his burglar Bilbo Baggins - to reclaim the treasure ended in success when Smaug was slain by Bard Bowman. Biography The Fire-drake of the North Smaug was a dragon bred by Sauron at the beginning of the Third Age in great secret. The Dark Lord had him sent into the North so as to await his command. There the Dragon terrorized the Dwarves and Men living there and became one of the most well-known fire-drakes in the history of Arda, being rumored to have been a descendant of Ancalagon the Black, the great dragon-lord who had served Sauron in the First Age. Sacking of Erebor Sauron became drawn by great wealth amassed by the dwarven kingdom of Erebor, which included gold, gemstones, mithril, silver, pearls, the many-faceted crystals of emerald, sapphire and diamond, and the famed Arkenstone, as well as the it's strategic position that would allow for a quick takeover of the North. However, Sauron was unwilling to go there himself, for he was unwilling to show himself too early or compromise his plans of conquest. So the Dark Lord sent Smaug to do his bidding and take the Lonely Mountain by force. The Dragon attacked the city of Dale in a great firestorm before turning to Erebor itself. Smashing through the great doors of the Lonely Mountain, he slew a number of dwarves who resisted him and forcing many of the surviving dwarves into exile. The dragon remained there, guarding the land and gold, while awaiting his master's return. King under the Mountain For sixty years, Smaug guarded the Lonely Mountain, laying waste to the lands around the mountain, so that the blasted domain of the Dragon of Erebor became known as the Desolation of Smaug. While laying on the pile of gold for 60 years in wait for Lord Sauron to openly declare himself once more, Smaug learned from his master's spies that the dwarves would one day return and reclaim the moutain. Yet in the year TA 2941, a company of 12 dwarves, and Gandalf led by the heir of the former Dwarf-kingdom, Thorin Oakenshield, entered Smaug's mountain lair by a secret door. They sent the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins through the secret door to carry out his duty as their 'burglar'. As Smaug lay dreaming of greed and violence, Bilbo encountered the dragon and was surprised to find that Smaug was larger than he had expected. His underbelly was heavily armored as the rest of him. The bare patch that Bilbo notices is a single missing scale instead, broken off during his attack on Dale, by one of the Black Arrows fired by Girion. Smaug is awoken as Bilbo hunts for the Arkenstone amongst the vast treasure pile. Although Bilbo uses the One Ring to remain out of sight, the dragon is immediately made aware of his presence by his scent. As he searches for Bilbo, Sauron will possesses the beast and hints at an awareness of the ring, as he senses that Bilbo has something powerful made of gold "but far more precious", which in turn forces the hobbit to remove the ring in front of him. Due to the influence of the Dark Lord's will, Smaug had already known about Thorin's plans to reclaim Erebor (possibly because of the Thrush knocking the entrance to the heart of the mountain) and would await to welcome him and then kill him. During their conversation, the fire-drake reveals details on his master's return and the ongoing preparations for the war. He discerns the Hobbit's true intentions to steal the Arkenstone, and says that he is almost tempted to let him take it and let Thorin suffer the same fate as his grandfather. At this point, Smaug ends his cat-and-mouse banter with the hobbit and immediately tries to kill him, but Bilbo uses the ring to escape. Smaug catches up to Bilbo and the Dwarves, but after they elude him he quickly crawls around the abandoned halls in search of them. In his pursuit, he is lead to the forges, where they trick him into rekindling the smelting vats with his fire breath. As the Company enact their plan, Bilbo and his dwarven companions lead him away a second time. Realizing that the Humans of Esgaroth were helping the company - reinforced by Bilbo calling himself the "Barrel-rider, Smaug began suspecting a plot against him and his lord Sauron, thus resolving to attack and destroy the town as a punitive measure. Before he leaves, Thorin taunts him, and in their standoff, the dwarf unveils an enormous golden dwarf statue, which distracts the greedy dragon long enough for the statue to melt into liquid gold and supposedly drown him. Unfortunately for them, Smaug survives the scalding gold and stumbles out of the Mountain and breaks out through the entrance. He then takes to the air and shakes off his gold coating, then flies off towards Esgaroth. The dragon burns Lake-Town to the ground, but realizes he is being shot at. He identifies his attacker as Bard whom he calls the "bowman". Smaug confronts him and mocks him for having no more arrows, commenting: "What will you do know. bowman?". He successfuly guesses that Bain is Bard's son and threatens to kill the boy. As the beast advances towards him, the Man of Esgaroth shoots a Black Arrows straight through the missing scale in the fire-drake's chest. Smaug flies into the sky, screaming as his life fades, before succumbing to his wounds and falling on the Master of Lake-Town's boat, crushing the tyrant beneath him. Personality Smaug is portrayed as being arrogant, greedy and a loyal servant of Sauron, having an unquenchable desire for gold, and not caring who gets in his or the Dark Lord's way for more. He appears to possess a rather sardonic sense of humor similar to his lord, mocking Bilbo darkly while they are talking. Smaug seems to dislike Dwarves, or at least thinks little of them as threats to Sauron's return, which is seen when he openly defiles their territory, and makes unfavorable comments about Thror. The most distinguishing characteristic of the dragon (aside from his greed), is his arrogance. Smaug thinks very highly of himself, loudly boasting his superiority. In his hubris, the fire-drake proclaims himself "Chiefest of Sauron's Servants". This proves to be his downfall when he is not able to recognize his only weakness. While he is arrogant, he is unquestinably loyal to the Dark Lord, evidenced by the fact that he refers to him as "Lord Sauron" or "master". His devotion to the One is the primary motivation for his arrogance as he seeks to prove himself worthy and does everything in his power to fulfill his master's wishes. In similar fashion to Sauron himself, Smaug has a sarcastic nature and a desire to do evil just for the fun it gives him. Category:Dragons Category:Males Category:Villains Category:Servants of Sauron Category:Kings Category:Dark Regents